Marble 

Floor 

Finish 


DEVOE 


We  are  the  oldest  and  largest 
manufacturers  in  our  line  in 
the  United  States. 


Our  Specialty  is  Fine  Varnish. 


F. W.  Devoe  &  C.  T.  Raynolds  Co. 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


PAINTS,  VARNISHES 
ARTISTS’  MATERIALS 
BRUSHES 

NEW  YORK  ^  CHICAGO 


U 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Devoe 

Marble  Floor  Finish 


We  call  it  Marble  Floor  Finish,  be¬ 
cause  it  makes  a  marble-like 
finish  on  a  floor. 

It  is  a  varnish,  and  is  the  best  that 
can  be  made  for  the  purpose. 

It  will  resist  the  wear  and  tear  which 
it  necessarily  receives  on  a  floor. 

It  is  pale  and  preserves  the  natural 
color  of  the  wood. 

It  will  dry  over  night. 

One  gallon  will  cover  300  square  feet, 
two  coats. 

It  will  last  a  year  on  an  office  floor. 

It  will  last  a  year  on  a  school  house 
floor. 

It  will  last  two  years  on  a  public  hall. 

It  will  last  two  years  on  a  private  hall. 

It  will  last  three  years  on  a  church 
floor. 

It  will  last  three  years  on  a  bathroom 
floor. 

It  will  last  four  years  on  a  bedroom 
floor. 

It  will  last  four  years  on  a  parlor  floor. 


3 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


A  VARNISH  MAKER 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 
How  to  Apply 

Devoe 

Marble  Floor  Finish 


ON  NEW  WOOD. 

The  floor  must  be  thoroughly  clean. 
And  it  must  also  be  thoroughly  dry. 

Do  not  put  any  kind  of  oil,  either 
crude  oil  or  linseed  oil,  on  a  floor  that 
is  to  be  varnished. 

If  the  wood  is  open-grained,  it 
should  be  first  filled  with  Devoe 
Paste  Wood  Filler.  (See  page  22  of 
this  pamphlet  for  a  list  of  open¬ 
grained  woods.) 

Our  Paste  Wood  Filler  has  full 
directions  for  use  on  each  can.  There 
will  be  needed  from  7  to  10  pounds  of 
the  Filler  for  a  surface  that  would  be 
finished  by  a  gallon  of  the  Marble 
Floor  Finish.* 

*The  use  of  a  filler  is  to  fill  up  the  pores  of  the 
wood  and  to  produce  a  smooth,  hard  surface  on 
which  to  put  the  varnish.  Otherwise  the  varnish 
would  sink  into  the  porous  parts  of  the  wood, 
producing  an  irregular  and  pitted  surface. 


5 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


After  using  the  Wood  Filler,  apply 
a  coat  of  Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish. 

The  most  desirable  kind  of  brush  to 
use  is  a  3-inch  Chisel  Edge,  Double 
Thick,  Bristle  Varnish  Brush.  We 
make  them  in  our  Brush  Factory. 
This  is  a  reduced  picture  of  such  a 
brush,  taken  from  our  brush  catalog: 


(See  page  20  on  the  care  of  brushes.) 

After  this  first  coat  has  dried  for 
about  12  hours,  the  surface  should  be 
lightly  sandpapered  with  OO  sand¬ 
paper.  The  best  way  to  do  this  is  to 
cut  a  sheet  of  the  sandpaper  into  four 
equal  parts.  Bend  one  of  the  pieces 
around  a  block  of  wood  about  three 
inches  by  four  inches  and  an  inch 
thick.  This  will  fit  the  hand  and 
facilitate  the  sandpapering. 

This  sandpapering  is  done  in  order 
to  remove  any  inequalities  on  the 


6 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


surface,  and  also  to  produce  a  slightly 
roughened  surface  on  which  the  next 
coat  of  varnish  will  cling  properly. 

After  sandpapering,  clean  off  the 
dust  very  carefully. 

Next,  apply  a  second  coat  of  Devoe 
Marble  Floor  Finish,  wait  24  hours, 
and  then  the  floor  may  be  used. 

For  extra  nice  work,  three  coats  of 
varnish  may  be  used.  If  this  is  to  be 
done  then  the  second  coat  should  be 
allowed  to  dry  for  24  hours,  then 
sandpaper  lightly  as  before,  then 
apply  the  third  or  finishing  coat. 

Note: — Some  people  do  not  like 
the  high  natural  gloss  produced  by  a 


CUM  MELTING. 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


varnish.  They  want  a  ‘‘Sleepy”  or 
“Egg  Shell  Finish.”  This  is  pro¬ 
duced  as  follows :  After  the  last  or 
finishing  coat  has  dried  for  about  24 
hours,  it  should  be  rubbed  with  pumice 
stone  and  water.  Take  a  piece  of 
Rubbing  Felt,  about  four  inches 
square  (we  sell  it),  dampen  a  part 
of  it  with  water,  dip  this  into  OO 
Powdered  Pumice  Stone  (we  sell  it), 
and  with  this  rub  the  varnished  sur¬ 
face,  working  with  the  grain  of  the 
wood.  Wipe  the  pumice  stone  and 
water  off  the  surface  from  time  to 
time  with  a  bunch  of  rags,  or  better, 
with  a  sponge  and  chamois,  so  as  to 
see  how  the  rubbing  is  progressing. 
When  this  rubbing  is  finished  the  sur¬ 
face  should  be  very  carefully  cleaned 
off  and  allowed  to  dry  very  thor¬ 
oughly.  Then  the  surface  should  be 
carefully  rubbed  over  with  Devoe 
Polishing  Oil.  (Directions  for  use  on 
each  package.) 

If  the  wood  on  the  floor  is  close- 


8 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


grained,  then  it  is  unnecessary  to  use 
Wood  Filler.  (See  page  22  of  this 
pamphlet  for  a  list  of  close-grained 
woods.)  In  this  case  use  what  may 
be  termed  a  “sizing/’  made  by  mixing 
together  1  /3  Devoe  Marble  Floor 
Finish  and  2/3  turpentine,  then  apply 
two  or  three  coats  of  Devoe  Marble 
Floor  Fnish,  as  directed  above. 

Hard  Pine  or  Pitch  Pine  should  be 
given  a  coat  of  Shellac  Varnish,  in 
order  to  bind  the  pitch  and  prevent  it 
from  working  through  into  the  var¬ 
nish.  While  Hard  Pine  and  Pitch 
Pine  are  listed  among  open-grained 
woods,  they  are  not  sufficiently  so  to 
necessitate  the  use  of  Wood  Filler. 
Therefore,  after  applying  the  Shellac, 
the  Marble  Floor  Finish  may  be  next 
applied,  as  above. 

OLD  FLOORS. 

Paint,  Varnish,  Wax  or  Shellac  may 
be  removed  from  old  floors  by  using 
Devoe  Paint  and  Varnish  Remover. 


9 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


It  will  remove  all  these  substances 
and  will  not  injure  the  wood.  Full 
directions  for  use  are  on  each  can. 
One  gallon  of  it  will  remove  250 
square  feet  of  surface.  After  using  it, 
the  floor  may  be  finished  with  Devoe 
Marble  Floor  Finish,  as  above. 

Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish  is  also 
made  in  various  colors  so  as  to  imitate 
the  following  woods : 


Light  Oak, 
Dark  Oak, 
Cherry, 
Mahogany, 


Antique  Oak, 
Walnut, 

Flemish  Oak, 
Malachite  Green. 


AGING  VARNISH. 


10 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


We  also  make  an  nndercoating  to  be 
used  on  floors  which  may  be  in  bad 
condition.  Then  any  of  the  colors  may 
be  applied  on  top  of  the  undercoating. 

If  our  goods  are  to  be  used  on  new 
floors  made  of  close-grained  woods, 
apply  the  Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 
Stains  direct  to  the  wood,  using  a  suf¬ 
ficient  number  of  coats  to  produce  the 
desired  color  and  gloss. 

If  they  are  to  be  used  on  open¬ 
grained  woods,  first  fill  the  wood  with 
Devoe  Paste  Wood  Filler,  then  use  the 
stains  as  noted  on  page  10. 

If  the  floors  are  old  but  of  good 
color,  they  can  be  treated  the  same  way 
as  new  floors;  but  if  the  floors  are  dis¬ 
colored  with  dirt  and  somewhat  worn 
in  places,  we  would  advise  putting  on 
first  a  coat  of  Devoe  Ground  Color. 
When  this  is  dry,  the  Stains  can  be 
applied  direct  to  this  surface. 


1 1 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


The  Care  of 

Floors  Finished  with 

Devoe 

Marble  Floor  Finish 


It  is  very  easy  to  take  care  of  a 
floor  of  this  kind.  All  that  is  neces¬ 
sary  to  clean  it  is  to  moisten  a  woolen 
cloth  with  Devoe  Polishing  oil,  rub 
this  well  into  the  floor,  and  wipe  dry 
with  a  bunch  of  clean  cloth.  This  will 
remove  every  kind  of  dirt,  except 
candy  or  sweets.  Any  spots  of  this 
kind  should  be  removed  with  a  cloth 
dampened  with  water.  It  is  bad  prac¬ 
tice  to  use  soap  and  water,  especially 
hot  water,  on  any  varnished  floor,  for 
the  reason  that  each  time  it  is  done  it 
destroys  some  of  the  gloss  of  the 
varnish. 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 
Suggestions  on 

Applying  Varnish 


The  three  most  important  points 
are : 

1st.  Keep  the  temperature  as  near 
70°  Fahrenheit  as  possible. 

2d.  Keep  all  dampness  away  during 
varnishing  and  during  drying. 

3d.  Be  certain  that  each  coat  is  thor¬ 
oughly  dry  before  applying  the 
next. 

DRYING. 

The  drying  of  varnish  is  retarded  by 
both  cold  weather  and  hot  weather. 


THINNING  THE  VARNISH. 


13 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


For  this  reason  varnish  should  be  ap¬ 
plied  at  a  temperature  as  near  70° 
Fahrenheit  as  possible. 

Damp,  muggy  weather  also  retards 
the  drying  of  varnish.  Plenty  of  cool, 
dry  air  is  necessary  to  make  a  varnish 
dry  properly.  Therefore,  after  doing 
inside  work,  open  the  windows  an  inch 
or  two,  top  and  bottom,  so  as  to  give 
the  room  plenty  of  good  ventilation 
and  light.  It  is  a  mistake  to  shut  a 
room  up  tight  after  it  has  been 
varnished. 

If  varnishing  is  done  in  cold  weather 
the  building  should  be  properly  heated 
during  the  work. 

It  is  also  important  that  the  varnish 
itself  should  be  as  near  70°  Fahrenheit 
as  possible.  A  chilled  varnish  should 
never  be  used.  A  can  of  varnish  is 
liable  to  become  chilled  in  a  cold  shop, 
or  in  a  cold  room,  or  even  in  carrying 
it  from  the  shop  to  the  job  in  cold 
weather.  In  this  case  it  should  be 
warmed  up  near  a  stove  before  com¬ 
mencing  to  use  it.  If  the  varnish  is 
warmed  up  too  much  it  may  become  a 
little  frothy.  This  does  no  harm,  as 


14 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


the  bubbles  are  easily  worked  out  with 
the  brush. 

UNDERCOATS. 

Always  be  very  certain  that  the 
undercoat  of  varnish  is  thoroughly  dry 
before  applying  the  next  coat.  This  is 
a  very  important  point.  Sometimes  a 
varnish  may  seem  to  be  dry  when  in 
reality  it  is  only  dry  on  the  surface. 
If  another  coat  be  put  on  this  partially 
dried  varnish,  the  whole  job  will  be 
very  liable  to  turn  out  badly  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  ways : 

It  may  crack,  as  the  undercoat  will 
continue  to  dry,  and  will  pull  the  fin¬ 
ishing  coat  apart. 


STORING  GUM. 


15 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


It  may  lose  its  gloss  in  places,  due 
to  the  finishing  coat  sinking  into  the 
soft  undercoat. 

It  may  form  very  minute  wrinkles 
in  places,  giving  the  appearance  of  the 
surface  of  a  cross-cut  file. 

A  varnish  applied  in  too  heavy  coats 
will  crawl  and  wrinkle  in  drying. 

A  quick  change  in  temperature  dur¬ 
ing  the  time  that  a  varnish  is  drying 
is  very  liable  to  make  it  crinkle  up  in 
some  places  and  check  and  crack  in 
other  spots. 

If  moisture  has  gotten  on  to  the 
undercoat  during  the  time  of  drying, 
then  the  finishing  coat  will  blister, 
especially  when  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun  strike  upon  the  surface. 

Never  use  a  cheap  varnish  for 
undercoat  work — if  you  do  so  the 
whole  job  will  probably  crack.  The 
reason  is  that  the  good  varnish,  with 
which  you  do  the  finishing,  dries  with 
great  solidity  and  will  pull  the  under¬ 
coat  apart  into  cracks,  and  eventually 
the  finishing  coat  will  be  affected  by 
these  underneath  cracks. 

16 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Thinning  the  Varnish 


It  may  be  explained  that  in  the  mak¬ 
ing  of  varnish  the  gum  is  fused  and 
melted  in  a  large  kettle  over  a  fire. 
Then  linseed  oil  is  added  and  the  mass 
is  boiled  for  some  time.  This  thick, 
hot  mass  is  then  thinned  down  with 
sufficient  turpentine  to  bring  the 
product  to  a  consistency  where  it  is 
practical  to  use  it  with  a  brush  ;  in  fact, 
to  make  a  varnish  of  it. 

After  a  varnish  has  been  boiled, 
thinned,  cooled,  aged  in  tanks  and  put 
into  cans,  it  should  not  be  further 
thinned  by  the  consumer. 

There  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be 
thinned,  as  the  varnish,  when  it  leaves 
our  hands,  is  in  just  the  proper  condi¬ 
tion  to  be  used. 

Furthermore,  there  are  very  good 
reasons  why  it  should  not  be  thinned. 

If  you  add  turpentine,  it  will  destroy 
the  gloss  of  the  varnish.  It  will  make 
the  resulting  coat  of  varnish  so  thin 
that  it  will  not  wear  properly.  It 
will  also  make  the  varnish  lumpy  and 


17 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


BOILING  VARNISH. 


iS 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


specky,  by  reason  of  which  it  cannot 
be  spread  properly. 

Oil  added  to  a  varnish  retards  and 
even  prevents  it  from  drying. 

Oil  and  turpentine,  in  the  proper 
amounts,  are  added  to  the  varnish  by 
the  maker  when  the  ingredients  are 
boiling  hot,  and  these  ingredients  be¬ 
come  thoroughly  amalgamated  while 
the  varnish  is  aging.  But  after  the 
varnish  has  become  cold,  nothing  can 
be  added  without  materially  hurting 
the  qualities  of  the  varnish,  as  noted 
above. 

The  only  possible  occasion  where 
turpentine  may  be  added  is  where  a 
can  of  varnish  has  been  left  open  for 
some  time  and  the  contents  have  be¬ 
come  too  thick  to  spread  easily.  In 
this  case  you  can  add  a  little  turpen¬ 
tine,  stir  very  thoroughly,  and  lay  aside 
in  a  warm  room  for  24  hours  before 
using. 

This  is  only  a  makeshift,  but  it  is 
the  best  that  can  be  done  with  a 
thickened  varnish.  The  resulting  sur¬ 
face  obtained  from  spreading  this  var¬ 
nish  will  not  have  as  good  a  gloss  as 
the  original  varnish. 


19 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Care  of  Brushes 


After  varnishing,  the  brush  should 
be  thoroughly  washed  out  in  turpen¬ 
tine  ;  next  twirl  the  brush  by  rolling 
the  handle  between  the  hands,  the 
bristles  hanging  down,  so  as  to  par¬ 
tially  dry  it.  Then  hang  it  in  a  mix¬ 
ture  of  2/3  raw  linseed  oil  and  1/3 


turpentine  in  such 
a  way  that  the  bris¬ 
tles  are  all  covered, 
but  do  not  let  them 
touch  the  bottom 
of  the  pot.  Do  not 
keep  a  brush  in 
clear  turpentine — 
it  destroys  the 
elasticity  of  the 


bristles. 

When  you  want  to  use  the  brush 
again,  wash  the  oil  out  of  it  in  tur¬ 
pentine,  before  using.  Partially  dry 
the  brush  as  before.  Work  it  well  into 
the  varnish  before  beginning  the  job. 
If  you  are  going  to  use  the  same  var¬ 
nish  and  the  same  brush  to-morrow, 
you  can  leave  the  brush  in  the  varnish 


20 


-Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish - 

over  night.  In  fact,  it  will  not  injure 
the  brush  if  it  be  left  for  a  day  or  two 
in  the  varnish  that  you  are  using,  pro¬ 
viding  you  are  careful  to  keep  the  bris¬ 
tles  covered  with  the  varnish. 

A  well  made  brush,  properly  used 
and  properly  cared  for,  will  last  many 
years. 

We  make  all  of  our  own  brushes, 
and  therefore  we  guarantee  them. 


STORAGE  YARD. 


21 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Open  and  Close  Grain 

WOODS 


OPEN  GRAIN. 

Hard  or  Pitch  Pine  W alnut 


Oak 

Ash 

Butternut 

Chestnut 

CLOSE  GRAIN. 

White  Pine 
Maple 
Cherry 
Birch 

Red  Wood 


Mahogany 
White  Mahogany 
or  Prima  Vera 
Rosewood 


White  Wood 

Cypress 

Satinwood 

Sycamore 

Gum 


SHIPPING  VARNISH. 


22 


Devoe  Marble  Floor  Finish 


Devoe 

Brushes 


GOOD  VARNISH 

Should  be  applied  with 

GOOD  BRUSHES 


Devoe  Brushes 

are  made  in  the 

Devoe  Factory 

and  are  of  the 

Devoe  Quality 


We  shall  be  pleased  to  send  you  our  fully 
illustrated,  1  65  page  Brush  Catalogue. 


OFFICE  AND  SALESROOMS: 


New  York 

Fulton  and  William  Streets 

"Vi 

Chicago 

14-16  West  Lake  Street 
Buffalo 

124-126  Pearl  Street 
Kansas  City 

1312-1314  Grand  Avenue 

New  Orleans 
62  1  Baronne  Street 

Minneapolis 

1  12-1  14  South  Fourth  Street 
Denver 

1750  Arapahoe  Street 
FACTORIES : 

New  York  Chicago 

Brooklyn  Newark,  N.  J. 

WAREHOUSES : 

Boston  Pittsburgh  Savannah 

New  Orleans  Houston  Buffalo 

Denver 


AVERY  LIBRARY 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


